plough

plough — noun

1. a farm tool or machine that cuts into the ground and turns the earth over to get

1.名詞B2
釋義

a farm tool or machine that cuts into the ground and turns the earth over to get a field ready for planting.

例句

The old plough left long lines across the wet spring field.

leave lines across a field

Two horses pulled the plough while Ahmed walked behind it.

pull a plough; walk behind it

同義詞
  • plow

    American spelling of the same farm tool

  • tiller

    a modern machine for loosening soil, usually smaller and lighter

  • cultivator

    used for lighter soil work between growing plants, not the deep first cut

文法句型

pull a plough

horse-drawn plough

walk behind the plough

用法筆記

Usually names the soil-cutting tool pulled by animals or attached behind a tractor. American English normally spells this noun 'plow'.

常見錯誤

❌The farmer drove the plough to town.
✅The farmer drove the tractor to town.
💡a plough is the tool behind the vehicle, not the vehicle itself.
❌The workers used a plough to carry hay.
✅The workers used a cart to carry hay.
💡a plough turns soil; it is not used for moving loads.

2. describing land that people use for growing crops, rather than keeping it only f

2.名詞C2
釋義

describing land that people use for growing crops, rather than keeping it only for animals to eat on.

例句

Only half the valley is under the plough; sheep graze on the rest.

fixed phrase: be under the plough

By 1900, most of the flat land near town was under the plough.

同義詞
  • arable land

    a more technical term for land suitable or used for crops

  • cropland

    a straightforward modern term for land where crops are grown

反義詞
  • pasture

    land kept for animals to feed on rather than for crops

  • grassland

    land covered with grass, often not used for crop planting

文法句型

be under the plough

put land under the plough

用法筆記

Almost always appears in the set phrase 'under the plough'. Distinguish from noun/1, which names the tool rather than the land.

常見錯誤

❌The cows were grazing on land under the plough.
✅The cows were grazing on pasture.
💡'under the plough' describes land used for crops, not grazing land.

3. the British name for the Big Dipper, the seven-star shape that people look for i

3.名詞C1
釋義

the British name for the Big Dipper, the seven-star shape that people look for in the northern sky.

例句

On clear winter nights, Grandpa pointed out the Plough above the trees.

proper name with the: the Plough

The children learned to find north by looking for the Plough.

同義詞
  • Big Dipper

    the more widely known international and North American name

  • Charles's Wain

    an older British name for the same group of stars

文法句型

the Plough

see the Plough

point out the Plough

用法筆記

Mostly British. Used as a name, usually with 'the'; many learners outside Britain know the same star pattern as the Big Dipper.

常見錯誤

❌The Plough is the whole of Ursa Major.
✅The Plough is the seven-star pattern inside Ursa Major.
💡the name usually refers to the smaller pattern, not the whole constellation.

plough — verb